Polish Cabbage Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Potatoes: Cook with little salt, drain and mash.
• Bacon& Onions: Cut bacon very fine and fry; use the fat from the bacon to cook onions till soft (Cooked bacon can be discarded or saved for use in another dish.)
• Sauerkraut: cook with a little water added, then drain and save the juice.
• Cabbage: cook in water with very little salt, when tender, drain and When tender, drain and put through a blender.
• Dried Peas: Cover with water about 2 inches and cook until tender; DO NOT DRAIN, mash or put through the blender.
• Combine potatoes, onions, and sauerkrout in a large pot and blend with a hand (stick) blender until smooth; then add cabbage, peas and sauerkraut water until tart (add vingar as needed)
• Helpful Hint: the cabbage and peas should remain hole since they give the soup texture; it should not be the texture of baby food.
• Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Steps:

• Shred cabbage, set aside.
• Brown ribs in small amount of olive oil in large fry pan; remove from pan.
• Sauté cabbage using drippings in pan and butter. I usually do this in batches, adding all cabbage and juices from each batch into the pot.
• Add butter to pan and make next batch.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add sauerkraut and mix in well.
• Bury ribs in cabbage mix, fill with cold water just to cover all.
• Bring pot to boil, cover and lower heat to simmer.
• Simmer for about 2 hours.
• Check after 1-1/2 hours to see if cabbage is soft; meat should be falling off the bones.
• When done, carefully remove meat making sure to get all the bones.
• There aren't many or any bones in the country style ribs, that's why I use them instead of regular ribs.
• Separate meat from bones and fat and return meat to pot. Mix.
• I use an 8 quart enameled cast iron pot. Try to use a heavy metal pot or one that has a heavy bottom.
• Some people serve this in a bowl with boiled or mashed potatoes and/or some sour cream; and a nice hunk of Polish sisal bread, if you can find any!
• You could also add caraway or dill seeds when cooking it.
• NOTE:.If you can make this the night before you will serve it, and refrigerate it, it is better. The taste improves with age!

Steps:

• Cook pork in 3 quarts water for 1 hour. Add cabbage, vinegar, salt, sugar, tomato sauce and sauerkraut. Saute nions in olive oil in a frying pan until just tender. Add to the soup. Serve when ribs are fork tender (note: if using country ribs, remove from soup, shred meat, return to soup).